Compensating gearing.



, 2- PATBNTED AUG; 4, 1903. n. E. ROSS. GOMPENSATING GBARING.

APPLIOATIOH FILED OUT. 27, 1908.

DAVID E. ROSS, OF BROOKSTON, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR 'iO ROSS GEAR AND OF LA FAYETTE, INDIANA, A CORPQRATION OF INDIANA.

'rooL COMPANY,

comenusa'rnre sesame.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 4, 1908.

Application filed. October 27, 1906. Serial No. 340,808.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, DAVID E. Bess, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brookston, in the county of White and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Compensating Gearing, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to compensating gearing that is employed between two members that are driven from the same source of power, said compensating mechanism permitting one of said members to turn at a dif ferent rate of speed from the other member.

The invention has for its object the provision of means on said compensating gearing for placing resistance in said gearing, whereby more power may be transmitted to the driven member that is meeting with the greater resistance or that is be ng the more slowly driven.

My invention is shown as applied to that form of com ensating gearing which is illustrated, described and claimed in my pending application No. 257,255, although the same maybe applied to any other suitable form of compensating mechanism.

Referring to the drawing forming a part of this'application, Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view taken through the center of my compensating gearing, parts thereof being shown in elevation; Fig. 2 is-a side e.evation of the frame or spider carrying the compensating gears, parts of the same being shown in section for clearness of illustration; Fig. 3 is a section taken vertically through the center of F1g. 2, the compensating gears and pinion shafts being removed; Fig. 4 represents a sectional elevation of the rear end of the power or driving shaft; Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one )air of the divided tisks that form brakes for t \e compensating g ars.

Although my invention is especially adapted for connecting the driving gears on the rear axle sections of automobiles, it may be used in other relations, and I do not wish to be limited to the above stated use.

In turning corners with automobiles, the axle section that is connected with the outer wheel must necessarily rotate at a higher rate of speed than the remaining axle section.

The compensating gears shown in my said application are entirely suitable for permitting this difference .in rotation due to this cause. It sometimes happens however, that one of the wheels of the automobile will strike,&

slipper" place in the road while the other rear wieel will be upon solid ground. In that case, the wheel that is upon the sli ery place is liable to race, or to have all the motion transmitted to it, the wheel that is standing 1: )on solid ground remaining stationary. n such case, it is difficult to acuire sufiicient traction to pro )01 the, mac line, as the one wheel will simpiy turn upon the slippery part of the road without moving therefnrn the vehicle. I have, devised a. means for automatically applying resistance to the compensating gears, which will result in applying greater torque or tractive force to the wheel that is-u on solid ground.

Referring to the awing for a fuller -de scription of my invention, 1 and 2 re )IGSEIlt the rear axle sections of an automobile, said axle sections being provided. on their respective inner ends, with beveled "cars 3 and 4.

The said gears are inclosed wit in a gear casing 5, to the front portion of which is detarhably secured a casing 6 for the compensating gears. Projecting through this casing from the front is the power or driving shaft 7, said shaft terminating at its rear end in a disk 8, as is shown in F 1g. 4.

The outer rim of the disk 8 is provided with equidistant recesses 9, that are adapted to receive projecting lugs 10 on the spider frame 1., said frame being shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. This spider frame is provided with an outer annular portion 12 and an inner hub portion 13; szud portions being rigidlvsecurcdto etherhvradialarmsl4. The 95.

portions 12 and 13 form supports for the journal pins 15, of the compensating gears or pinions 16, said pins extending through the annular portion 12 and screwing into the hub portiou l3. s )ider frame 11, by means of the lugs 10 and the recesses 9, the spider frame is driven with the power shaft 7.

Journaled within the rear end of the drive shaft 7 and within the forward part of the 105 casing 5, is a st u shaft 17, said shaft having at its rear end a beveled pinion l8, whic meshes with the beveled gear 4 upon the axle By interlocking the shaft 7 with the ions 20 and 21 are connected by the orbital or compensating gears 16. v

It being understood that the spider frame 11 and the compensating gears turn with the drive shaft, if said ears are prevented from rotating, motion wi 1 be transmitted e ually to the two axle sections, which will bedriven together in the-same direction. If the yehi ole is turninga corner, however, so that one of the gears 3 or 4 will turn faster than the other, said difference in rotation is compensated for by the ears 16, which will rotate u on their journa pins. Likewise, if one of t e vehicle wheels strikes a slippery place in the road, said wheel wiL turn more easily than the'other wheel, the result being that the motion of the driving shaft will be transmitted .mostly to the wheel that ison the slippery place, the compensating caring rotating rapidly about their journa pins. If, now, means are provided to check or resist the rotation of the compensating gears, greater force will be transmitted to the gear that is not upon the slippery part of the road, the result being that sufficient traction will be provided to carry the vehicle past the said slippery place. This is the real object of my invention, and said object I attain by the construction which is shown more particularl in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawing.

I ithin the inner face of the annular portion 12 of the spider frame, I provide seats or recesses 22 opposite the orbital gears 16, said seats forming, on their peri heral edges 23, frictional surfaces with w 'ch engage the outer edges of the divided disks 24. These disks are carried upon hublike extensions of the'beveled gears 16, said ears having pro jecting lugs 25 that extend into recesses 26 on the lower face of said divided disks, said lugs formin guide ways for the disks, and com elling t e disks to turn with the gears. As s iown, the disks 24 are divided into halves, said halves being normally. drawn out of frictional en agement with the edges 23 of the recesses 22 y springs 27, said springs connectin the halves of the disks. If preferred, the dis may be divided into a greater number of parts so connected together.

.From this description, it will be understood that, when one of the vehicle wheels idly upon their journal begins to race or to turn with a much greater speed than the other wheel, the compensating gears will be caused to rotate rapof these cars causes a ike rotation of the divided disks, with the result thatsaid disks ins. The rotation brake disks, so that, as the speed of one of the vehicle wheels increases over the speed of the other wheel, the brake disks will cause a correspondingly increasing part of the tractive force to be transmitted'to the wheel having-the slower rotation. If, therefore, one of the wheels strikes a slippery place in the road and races with respect to the other wheel,

the brake disks will be thrown into fri tional engagement with the spider frame, thereby checking the rotation of the compensating gears and throwing more torque upon the wheel that is upon solid ound, which is necessary in order to prope the vehicle.

While I have shown and described one form of compensating gear and one form of brake therefor, I desire it to be understood that the following claims are not intended to be limited thereto any further than is made necessary by their express terms or by the 'prior state of the art.

Having thus described my invention, 1

claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a plurality of members, means common to said members for furnishing power for driving the same, means" connecting said members whereby they may be driven at different speeds and devices for automatically increasing the driving torque of one of said members as the difference in their speeds increases.

2. In a device of the character described, a

pair of driven members, means common to said members for furnishing power for driving the same, compensating gearing connecting said members whereby they may be driven at different speedsand means con nected with said. compensating gearing for automatically causmg'an increase of driving torque on t e mem er havlng the ,slower speed. a

3. In a device of the character described, a pair of driven members, avdrive shaft, connectlons'oetween said drive shaftand said driven members, said connections containing rotatable compensating gears whereby the members may be driven at different rates of speed and braking devices carried by said complensating gears for automatically resisting t e rotation of the latter, whereby greater torque may be applied to the driven member havm the slower speed.

4. l n a device of the character described, a

pair of driven members, a drive shaft for said members, connections between said drive shaft and said members, said connections containing a plurality of rotatable orbital gears and braking devices carried by each of said orbital gears, said braking devices being adapted to automatically resist the rotation of said gears and thereby increase the torque of the more slowly driven member.

5. In a vehicle, a pair of axle sections, a drive shaft for said axle sections, compensating gears mounted to revolve with said drive shaft, driving gears connecting said compensatinggears and the axle sections, the construction bemg such that when said axle sections are turning at different s eeds the compensating gears will be rotate and means for automatically resisting the rotation of said compensating gears whereby the torque of the more slowl driven axle section will be increased and t e speeds of said axle sections will .be more nearly equalized.

5. In a vehicle, a pair of axle sections, a

drive shaft for said axle sections, compensating gearing mounted to revolve with said drive shaft, driving gears connecting said compensating gears and the axle sections, the construction being such that when said axle sections are driven at different speeds the compensating gears will be rotated and means rotating with said compensating gears and automatically resisting therotation thereof, whereby the tor no of the more slowly driven axle section be increased and the s eeds of said axle sections will be more near y equalized.

7. In a device of the character described, a pair of driven members, a drive shaft, orbital gears connected with said drive shaft so as to revolve therewith, connections between said orbital gears and the driven members, said orbital gears being adapted to compensate for different speeds of said driven'members and to rotate on their axes whenever there is a difference in speed of said members, brakes carried by said orbital gears, said brakes being inoperative when said members are driven at substantially thesame speed butbecoming operative whenever the orbital gears rotate at a rapid speed, whereby the rotation of said orbital gears is resisted and the torque upon the more slo wlydriven member is increased.

8. In a device of the character described, a pair of driven members, a drive shaft, orbital gears connected with said drive shaft so as to revolve therewith, connections between said orbital gears and the driven members, said orbital gears being adapted to compensate for different speeds of said driven members and to rotate on their axes whenever there is a difference in speed of said members, centrifugal brakes carried by said orbital gears said brakes being inoperative when sai members are driven at substantially the same speed but becomingoperative when evcrthc orbital gears rotate at a rapid speed, whereby the rotation of said orbital gears is resisted and the torque upon the more slowly driven member is increased.

9. In a vehicle, a pair of axle sections, bevshaft and being adapted to rotate upon their axes whenever the axle sections turn at different speeds and means for automatically preventing an excess in speed of rotation of said compensating gears, whereby greater torque is thrown upon the more slowly driven axle section.

10. in a vehicle, a pair of axle sections, beveled gears carried by said axle sections, a drive shaft, beveled pinions for driving said beveled gears, compensating gears connecting said beveled piuions, said compensating gears revolving in an orbit with the drive shaft and being adapted to rotate upbn their axes whenever the axle sections turn at different speeds and braking devices carried by said orbital gears for automatically preventing an excess in speed of rotation thereof, whereby reater torque is thrown upon the more slow y driven axle section.

11. In a vehicle, a pair of axle sections, a drive shaft, a frame connected with said drive shaft so as to rotate therewith, a plurality of orbital gears carried by said frame, connections between said orbital gears and the axle sections, the construction being such that when the axle sections are driven at different speeds, the orbital gears will rotate on their axes, a pair of divided disks carried by each of said orbital gears, there being braking surfaces within the said frame with which said divided disks are adapted toengage whenever said orbital gears rotate at an excessive s cod and means for normally holding sai disks out of engagemgnt wit 1 said braking surfaces.

12. In a vehicle, a pair of axle sections, a. drive shaft, a frame connected with said drive shaft so as to rotate therewith. a plurality of orbital gears carried by said frame, said gears having hub extensions and lugs, connections between said orbital gears and the axle sections, the construction being such that when the axle sections are driven at different speeds, theorbital gears will rotate on their axes, a pair of divided disks carried by thehub extension of each of said orbital gears and sliding on the said lugs, there being braking surfaces within the said frame with which said divided disks are adapted to engage whenever said orbital gears rotate at an excessiv s eed and springs for nor-mall? holding sai disks out of engagement wit said braking surfaces.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature in the presence 0; two witnesses.

DAVID E. ROSS. Witnesses:

Geo. J. Kenna,

YNN II. Bonnxna. 

